Christina Burton
Energy is something that many young children haven’t yet learned to control. Likewise, many pediatricians find it difficult to curb their prescribing of ADD/ADHD related medications.
It seems to me that the knee-jerk reaction of the medical world is providing drugs to children who have trouble sitting still when the only mistake they’ve made is eating too much sugar. Pediatricians distribute ADHD medication like candy to quickly solve a “behavioral problem” which is sometimes non-existent. This outlet replaces the option of naturally adjusting certain aspects of a child’s lifestyle.
Many times, the results of too much junk food or a lack of physical activity can be mistaken for a psychiatric disorder, and because of this tendency to try to fix everything with medication, children grow up learning to rely on pills to feel normal. Ironically, most hard drug addicts would say the same thing. Surprisingly enough, there are other ways to control the behavior of young children.
This leads me to say that the fault of all this hullabaloo also partially falls on the legal guardians of said children, as they themselves have the ability to change their child’s lifestyle. When a child wants ice cream, sometimes they should be fed fruit and when they want to stay inside and watch T.V., sometimes it’s beneficial to encourage them to play outside.
To further investigate this topic, I took an online “ADHD Test” which was reviewed by mental health researcher John M. Grohol, Psy.D. I took the test while answering with the same responses an average child would have. I told it that I ‘sometimes’ have trouble concentrating, that I ‘sometimes’ make careless mistakes, that I ‘sometimes’ run about or climb in situations where it is inappropriate, etc. Many people, including myself, would agree that these are common traits in children. In fact, I would be surprised to find a child that had perfect concentration and never climbed around. However, this glorious test proved us otherwise. It showed me that because of the traits listed above, many children I thought to be normal are really victims of a life-long psychological disability. Thank you, Mr. Grohol, for showing me the light.
In all seriousness, the prescribing of ADHD and ADD medication has increased tenfold since the ‘70s and is becoming an epidemic in itself. If this reckless misuse of today’s medical knowledge continues, the next generation is going to be one that is hooked on medications for disorders they don’t even have. Pill popping will be the only way to feel normal and needless to say, that is no way for an American society to operate. Furthermore, it will lead to a lower quality of life for most health patients, as medication would be equivalent to life support.
In my personal opinion, so many psychological issues of today’s youth are the results of medical science going too far. I firmly believe that if doctors take the pill bottles out of their patients’ faces, they are likely to find a child whose only disability is a sweet tooth.
